Philanthropy – EBS Charitable Endeavors

The culture of giving is very strong at EBS, with our employees and our affiliates. We are a strong proponent of giving back to the community and we encourage this activity by organizing company-wide charitable endeavors as well as promoting individual activities.

EBS allows employees business time to perform charitable activities. The purpose of this opportunity is two-fold. We want to encourage our employees and their children to take a more active role in the needs of one’s community, thinking beyond oneself towards the needs of others. And, we want to facilitate and instill the importance of participating and creating a belief that we all need to give to others and to programs to make our communities and the world a better place. We accomplish this goal by allowing employees five days per year of paid time off for charitable philanthropic activities.

For many years, EBS has sponsored the Youth Service Bureau’s Chef Soiree, the major fundraiser for this organization. The Youth Service Bureau (www.ysbworks.com) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the belief that strong youth and families are the cornerstones of a strong community. The mission of the Youth Service Bureau is to provide advocacy, counseling, education, and intervention for at-risk youth and their families, helping them reach their full potential. Founded in 1981 to answer the needs of at-risk youth and families, YSB continues to provide these programs today.

L.P. Monteleone Junior High School received a donation of 5 iPads to be able to utilize the vast array of science apps available for their 7th and 8th grade science and gifted science classes.

Mike and Christine Foster of EBS founded The Harvey L. Foster Foundation for Science Education in late 2007. The mission is to award the ambition of the future science leaders of tomorrow with college tuition today. From grade school to grad school, the Foundation is supporting the next generation of scientists, engineers, and chemists through educational initiatives. Whether it’s introducing the marvels of science and engineering to students through our career day mentoring programs, rewarding excellence in high school science fair competitions, providing schools with much needed laboratory equipment, or providing scholarships for students to pursue science careers with the HLFF Scholarship or the Pearl River Studies Scholarship, the Foundation strives to touch the lives of thousands of students every day. Information on the foundation can be located at www.theharveylfosterfoundation.com.

EBS participates in the Mandeville, Louisiana High School Field Internship Program. This program was designed for seniors to give students a more in-depth look at their career interest through hands-on experience. It involves the “hiring” of an intern or student by a mentor within the community who will teach the student a trade. The high school senior not only obtains a taste of all aspects of that career but is an asset to the mentor. EBS has participated in the Science Internship program since 2008 with between one and three seniors per year.

Encouraging the Next Generation of Scientific Leaders

Career Day – Over the years, EBS employees have presented to local schools on career day. The discussion typically revolves around the various science careers that high school seniors might not be aware of. Students tend to be more familiar with careers such as becoming a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, veterinarian, or even working in some sort of research field. EBS presents career information for those considering biology, chemistry, or engineering majors that involve the manufacturing side of science.

Habitat for Humanity – EBS encourages its employees to get evolved in their communities. Many employees of EBS have helped Habitat for Humanity annually and during the Women’s Build program. Please visit Habitat for Humanity’s site enjoy a similar experience to that of our employees

Charitable Endeavors of our Clients – EBS is proud to participate in the many charitable activities organized by our clients. A host of issues have been supported over the years from United Way to heart research and more.

Employee Kermit Francis participates in the Silverback Society, a unique mentoring program geared to make a positive impact on boys and young men in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area. They focus on teaching respect, integrity, leadership, and love, which results in a reduction of disciplinary actions, higher academic achievement, and more productive young men.

Elementary School programs – EBS happily assists elementary schools with science-related activities. We have taught about microbiology using a show-and-tell method with our company microscope and samples. We gave around 27 show-and-tell presentations about volcano’s spouting lava. We discuss and show artifacts of American Indian Culture and demonstrated the effects of dredging on Lake Pontchartrain and water clarifications. For pictures of these presentations and more visit our Facebook page.

Cub Scouts – EBS discussed and presented laboratory experiments on science to the local Cub Scout Troop. This allowed the scouts to receive their Science belt loop and/or pin.

Our employees volunteer to clean up and deliver goods to communities after tornados and hurricanes, replant marsh grasses in hurricane devastated areas, participate as members and board members in philanthropic groups and museums, volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross, and Big Brothers-Big Sisters, join sports tournaments supporting health research causes, adopt families during the holiday season and help them with food and gifts, act as the local support system for a charitable bike ride through WEFTEC, volunteer with Water Missions International to provide drinking water systems to developing countries, and more. They are an active and caring group of individuals.

Additional philanthropic groups EBS sponsors – EBS also donates money to a variety of charitable activities, some of which our friends or family have been impacted by or those they are championing. We are proud to assist those who are helping others in the world.

• EBS sponsored the Les Turner ALS Walk 4 Life in Chicago. ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing their ability to walk, speak, eat, and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. There are many organizations raising money for ALS research so if you are interested in supporting that topic we encourage you to search out the group that interests you the most on the web.

• EBS has sponsored children for the Upward Community Services’ Camp Upward summer camp. Upward Community Services (UCS) assists the troubled, needy and overwhelmed members of our local community. Their ministry is focused on offering a hand-up, not a handout. Their programs instill responsibility, accountability and the hope that one can improve his or her own life. UCS provides after school mentoring, summer camp, drug, and alcohol rehabilitation programs, as well as assistance in a variety of areas that people just need a little help with through their Community Helps program. For more information on this great group of people assisting our community in St. Tammany Parish, please see www.upwardcommunityservices.org.